Willow: The Series
by Dave Sek
Summary: After Buffy died to save Dawn, Willow feels it's up to her to protect Sunnydale from evil. (Alternate season six)
1. Chapter 1: Night Out

Disclaimer: All of the characters are owned by Joss and Co.  
  
Note: I am writing this as if it were the first episode of a new series called "Willow." This story picks up at the same time as "Bargaining." The only difference is that in this story, there is no attempt at a resurrection of Buffy. It is simply the Scooby Gang continuing to fight evil without the help of the Slayer.  
  
Format: This story will be written in several parts. Check back regularly for new installments.  
  
Story Title: "Willow"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Cemeteries creeped Xander Harris out. It's not that he wasn't used to being in them; as a close friend and sidekick of the Slayer, that was far from the case. There was just something entirely too creepy about a piece of land dedicated to storing the dead. He didn't have any better idea for where the deceased could be kept, but the fact was cemeteries were spooky. He would have thought so even if he weren't out on that particular night searching for some newly sire vampires.  
  
Xander couldn't help but feel nervous on his mission. Even with his close friends around him, he no longer felt safe creeping through the cemeteries without the Slayer. Not that he'd ever give up the eternal fight against evil, but he found he was quite a bit braver when in the presence of the Chosen One. And despite the fact the Buffy-Bot looked and sounded exactly like Buffy Summers, it didn't fill him with a sense of security as his close friend had. Now that Buffy was dead, he knew he'd never feel secure in that sense again.  
  
Behind him were three of the people he cared most about in the world. The first was the one he had known the longest, Rupert Giles. Born and raised in England, Giles was one of the finest Watcher's you could find. He had trained Buffy in her duties as a Slayer; he doubted any of them would be alive if not for his help. Next to Giles was Tara Maclay, his best friend's girlfriend. Tara was relatively new to the group, having entered his life less than two years earlier. While originally he hadn't known all that much about the witch, they had gone on to develop a close friendship that he truly appreciated. He would risk his life to save her in an instant, and he knew she would do the same for him.  
  
And the third of those close to him was by far the most important, at least to him. Anya Emerson, an apparently young woman that had lived for over 1100 years. Anya was an ex-vengeance demon, monsters that traveled the world and caused havoc by granting wishes. Anya's expertise had been in punishing those who had scorned women; the thought still gave Xander a wiggins to this day, but that was all in the past. While Anya hadn't willingly given up her powers, the fact was she was now as mortal as he. And like the rest, she had risked her life for all of them. Despite everything she had done, he loved her. She was the woman he was set to marry.  
  
Not counting the Buffy-Bot, there was one more soul (not entirely an accurate description, Xander realized) close behind his friends. William the Bloody, aka Spike, was a vampire who had also done terrible things in his lifetime. He would probably continue to do those things, Xander knew, if not for a chip implanted in his head. Spike had been careless, which resulted in his capture by a government branch known as the Initiative, a military type group that captured and experimented on demons. They had implanted a chip in Spike's head that prevents the vamp from harming another human being. Spike had become a sort of neutered vamp, but he still had some use in him. While Spike is no longer capable of committing violence against a human being, there was nothing stopping him from fighting demons.  
  
There weren't many people Xander could say this about, but he truly hated Spike. Sure, Spike had done a lot of good in the past year; he had sacrificed his life to protect Buffy and her younger sister Dawn, but that was out of a sense of loyalty to Buffy. The vampire had fallen in love with the Slayer, despite the fact she never reciprocated the feelings, and he would have done nothing to convince her not to put a stake through his heart. But as much as it saddened him to say, Buffy was gone, so there was nothing keeping Spike loyal. If Spike could just find somebody to remove the chip from his head, Xander doubted there was anyone left in Sunnydale that could put a stop to the vampire's rampage.  
  
Xander considered putting a stake through Spike's heart right then and there, but he didn't. Willow, whom was also in the graveyard, argued that Spike should be kept alive. Xander didn't know why, but he didn't want to piss his friend off. Not that Willow would ever harm him, but the truth of the matter is that Willow is one incredibly powerful witch. He didn't know where she was in the cemetery, but he knew she would raise hell to prevent another of her friends from dying.  
  
They had all taken Buffy's death hard, but aside from Dawn Willow had probably taken it the worst. His friend, normally jovial and smiley, had become quite moody since Buffy's departure. He tried to avoid an argument with her at all costs for fear of being turned into a three-legged toad, but Anya and Tara didn't appear to share his fear. Tara appeared to not be afraid of her lover; Anya, on the other hand, probably was afraid of Willow, but that didn't mean Anya wouldn't say what she thought. That's one thing he loved about his fiancé; she always told the truth (or her version of it), no matter whose feelings it hurt.  
  
"So where are these bloody vampires Red warned us about?" Spike asked after a moment. Xander turned and hushed the vampire. Not that Spike didn't already know, but vampires had enhanced senses; if there were any vampires in the cemetery, they could hear just about anything that was said.  
  
"Yes, where are these wicked vampires?" the Buffy-Bot asked. "I am ready to give them a wicked pounding. Vampires are evil." Then she turned and looked at Spike, and her facial features became apologetic. "Except for my Spikey, of course. He is good. Very good." The way she emphasized "very" sent a shiver up Xander's spine. While they now used the Buffy-Bot as a weapon in their fight against evil (and to hide the truth, that the Slayer was no longer among the living), the Buffy-Bot had originally been created by a robotics genius named Warren Meers to be used as a sex slave by Spike.  
  
Willow had altered the Buffy-Bot to be used for better purposes, but Willow wasn't an expert at machines the way its creator had been. The witch had tried to fix the machine to act just as the original Buffy had, but the Bot was like Anya in the sense that it would say whatever it "thought." Unlike Anya, however, the Bot didn't actually have the ability to think; instead, it would spout off whatever it was programmed to know. For example, the Bot would occasionally mention that Willow is a lesbian as of the end of 1999, and apparently it had been instructed to complement Spike whenever given the chance. That was something else Willow would have to work out.  
  
[Gang, they're starting to rise. Get your weapons ready.]  
  
The "voice" was as clear as day to Xander, though no one had spoken. It was Willow, communicating with the group telepathically. It was scary how powerful Willow had grown in strength in the past few years. Willow often found herself in danger thanks to her relationship with the Slayer back in high school, but things had changed since Willow had taken up witchcraft. At once the weakest (at least physically) member of the team, she had grown to become the most powerful.  
  
"Where at?" Xander asked out loud. Willow had tried to instruct the gang how to communicate with her telepathically, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded. It required a great deal of concentration, and so far only Tara and Giles had mastered it. Of course, they could only do so if Willow kept the communication open; though both Willow and Tara are witches, Tara was nowhere near as powerful as her lover and unable to communicate by telepathy.  
  
[Four o'clock, about 1500 feet.]  
  
All the Scoobies turned in various directions, not sure where Willow was talking about. "This way," Giles said, taking the lead. Xander was glad the Watcher was with them; Willow would have had to have drawn them an arrow otherwise. Xander followed behind, and Anya joined him at his side.  
  
"This is all making me kind of horny," she replied. Thankfully it was low enough for none of the others to hear, save Spike and his enhanced hearing (and the look the vampire gave him made Xander put a stake through his heart, whether Willow liked it or not). And perhaps Willow, Xander thought, as she was telepathically linked with them all. Maybe it wasn't such a good thing Anya said whatever came to mind. Her honesty acted as both a blessing and a curse, he supposed.  
  
Spike walked to the front of the group and peered around a mausoleum wall. "I see them," he whispered back. "Two of them, helping a third from the grave. This shouldn't be too difficult."  
  
Before the Scoobies could muster up a plan of attack, the Buffy-Bot leaped around the side of the mausoleum into plain sight of the vampires. "Halt, evil vampires," she said. "I am here to make witty puns and Slay you."  
  
The vampires, who had just finished helping the third member of their trio from the grave, turned to the gang. "Looks like dinner is here," the largest, a rather rotund vampire whose clothes were too small for him, smiled. "Let's get 'em."  
  
Before Xander even knew what was happening, the fight was on. Spike and the Buffy-Bot went after the largest member while Tara and Giles went after the smallest. This left Xander and Anya to take on the one that had just been released from the grave.  
  
The large vampire proved to be quite strong, but he ultimately fell from a stake to the chest from the Buffy-Bot. As Spike ran to help Tara and Giles, the Bot stood in place and quipped, "I just Slayed a vamp. Go me!"  
  
The smaller vampire appeared to be deceiving in looks, as he was even stronger than the already dusted leader. He threw Spike into Giles's waiting stake, sending both men tumbling to the ground. Fortunately the stake didn't pierce the vamp's heart, so he wasn't sent on a one-way trip to Dustville. It wasn't until she saw Spike injured that the Bot finally moved, but only to help Spike to his feet.  
  
The attacking vampire then turned its attention toward Tara. Unsure of what to do, Tara muttered something in Latin. This caused a smoke screen to block Tara from his sight. "What?" the vampire questioned. Behind him, Giles pulled out a crossbow and aimed it at the vampire. Before the vampire could try to step through the smoke screen for the kill, Giles shot a crossbow bolt through his back, dusting him.  
  
While all of this was going on, the newly created vampire had Anya pinned against a tombstone. Xander ran to his fiancé's aid, but the vampire just swatted him away like he was a fly. "Anya!" Xander screamed from the ground. Just as the vampire lowered its head to bite the former demon, a flash of lightning arched across the sky, striking the vampire in the back. The vampire was engulfed in flames, and in no time was dust.  
  
Xander turned his head to where the lightning had struck from. There, on top of the mausoleum the gang had been behind before the fight struck, was Willow. Xander was glad for the witch's rescue. Despite the fact Willow and Anya were hardly close, Xander's earlier thoughts about his best friend were correct; the witch truly would do anything to prevent another of her friends from dying.  
  
Willow stepped off the mausoleum, and for a moment Xander thought the witch had a death wish. Instead the witch merely floated to the ground, where she was met a moment later by Tara.  
  
"That was certainly a barrel of laughs," Xander chimed in. "Who's up for another round?"  
  
Willow, who had become all business since Buffy's death, ignored the crack. She walked straight to the Buffy-Bot, which was standing there with a bewildered look on its face. She reached under its shirt and opened the compartment to the wiring. "Why won't this damn thing work properly?" Xander heard the witch mutter.  
  
"Why don't we take it home and give it a good looking at, sweetie?" Tara responded. She put an assuring hand on Willow's shoulder, but Willow hardly seemed to notice. Tara looked at Giles as if for some help.  
  
"Tara's right," Giles said, stepping forward. "There's no need to worry about it now. Perhaps we should all go home and get a good night's rest, hmm?"  
  
"Not until I fix this thing," Willow said. "Anya was almost killed because it's too busy standing around to bother helping."  
  
"It's no biggie, Red," Spike tried to assure her.  
  
"That's easy for you to say," Anya argued. "You weren't the one almost bitten."  
  
"Willow, I insist you head home and get yourself some rest," Giles instructed. "You've been working on that thing for several weeks now. Don't worry about it, at least not until tomorrow."  
  
"Fine," Willow sighed in agreement. "I guess I am kind of tired." She turned towards Tara, who seemed to beam at her lover's attention. "You ready to go home, baby?"  
  
"You know it."  
  
And with that, the Scoobies were on their way out of the graveyard.  
  
Credits role: Alyson Hannigan Nicholas Brendon Emma Caulfield Michelle Trachtenberg James Marsters and Amber Benson as Tara. 


	2. Chapter 2: Breakfast

Tara always enjoyed making breakfast. It helped calm her down, and it helped cast the illusion that Tara was just your average woman. She enjoyed helping her lover and friends fight the forces of evil, but sometimes she just liked to sit back and enjoy the simpler things in life; say, for example, the sizzling sound of bacon being cooked. Tara always found it so amazing that seemingly unimportant tasks like cooking breakfast and brushing your teeth could make you forget that you very easily could have been drained by a vampire the night before.  
  
Tara thought of the way Willow had saved Anya and shuddered. Tara loved Willow in every way possible and knew that her lover was one of the most powerful Wiccans in the Western Hemisphere, but the fact was that Willow sometimes scared her. The lightning Willow had wielded against the vampire was incredibly powerful; perhaps too powerful. Just the slightest miscalculation could have resulted in Anya's having been the one to become dust.  
  
Tara was afraid of how powerful Willow had become. She knew that while there was no way Willow would ever intentionally hurt someone she loved, there are no guarantees when it comes to magic. At times Tara found herself jealous at how inferior she was to Willow when it came to witchcraft, but at other times she felt relieved to know she wasn't in possession of that much power. If one of Tara's spells were to go awry, the worst that would happen would be that somebody's hair would fall out; if one of Willow's went wrong, somebody could very easily lose their life.  
  
Tara wanted to warn Willow that she had to be careful with her magic, but she didn't dare. On the one hand, she knew Willow was always careful; on the other, Willow wasn't the same person she was before Buffy's death. Willow still made Tara feel like the happiest woman on earth, but she also had a way of draining the joy out of any room. She acted as though it were her responsible to protect the Hellmouth with the Slayer gone.  
  
Tara was disturbed from her thoughts by the steady drum of feet coming down the stairs. A moment later, Dawn Summers was in the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?" the youth asked before her eyes were drawn to the kitchen table. Tara turned to see what Dawn was staring at, and her face turned a bright shade of crimson.  
  
"I'm sorry, sweetie," Tara said, making her way over to the kitchen table to pick up the Buffy-Bot. She quietly placed the Bot in the kitchen closet. "Willow still hasn't got it to working properly. She was planning on working on it this morning, but she wound up sleeping a bit later than she intended."  
  
"I don't see why we have to keep the stupid thing," Dawn mumbled. "All it does it make me think of." Dawn stopped, leaving the sentence unfinished. Tara felt a pang of guilt for having not placed the Bot out of view before the teen had awakened. Dawn had trouble looking at the Bot, as it was a constant reminder of her sister. Tara almost wished it weren't so important they keep the Bot around.  
  
She thought of trying to explain once again why the Bot remained in the house, but she decided against it. Dawn knew all the reasons as it were. The first was the fact that they didn't want any demons to know the Slayer was out of commission. While there would always be demons drawn to the Hellmouth, there were also those that stayed out of town for fear of running into the Slayer. If they knew the Slayer was no longer among the living, there's no telling how many demons would invade the town.  
  
The other reason, which Tara actually considered the more important of the two, was the fact that they needed the Bot to fool the social workers. Every so often, a social worker would come in to make sure Dawn was being taken care of properly. It was quite clear that Dawn's father, Hank Summers, had no intention of raising his daughter, so that left only Buffy. If it was discover Dawn's sister was dead, she would likely be taken from the home and placed in foster care.  
  
Tara sometimes wondered if perhaps that would be for the best; she loved Dawn with all her heart, as if the teen were her own sister instead of just a dearly departed friend's, but she also feared that by keeping Dawn around, they were actually putting the child in danger. But on the other hand, Tara realized, placing Dawn in a foster home was no guarantee from an attack. Just because Glory was gone didn't mean there wasn't something else out there looking for the Key, and Tara knew that your average stepparents weren't going to be able to protect her from some big bad demon looking to sacrifice Dawn for who knows what reason. The fact was that with Buffy gone, Willow and Tara were the most capable of keeping Dawn safe.  
  
Finishing breakfast up, Tara sat down with Dawn and ate together. They talked about their fears of starting the new school year. Tara was just preparing for her junior year of college, while Dawn was preparing for her first year of high school. Dawn was far more nervous than Tara, which Tara fully understood. Though the old high school was now in ruins, that was no guarantee that Dawn's new school wouldn't act as a magnet towards demons. Tara was glad that she had been raised in Alabama instead of on the Hellmouth, and a part of her wished that Dawn would be able to attend school somewhere a lot safer.  
  
Dawn had already finished up breakfast and Tara had only a few bites left when Willow finally came down the stairs. "There's some bacon and pancakes on the counter," Tara informed her girlfriend, "or if you'd prefer, I can fix you up an omelet real quick."  
  
"No thanks, I'm not hungry," Willow responded; as usual, the witch seemed a bit distracted. Willow's eyes shot to Dawn, who was sitting where Willow had last left the Buffy-Bot. "Where's the Buffy-Bot?" she asked Tara. "I told you I was planning on working on it this morning."  
  
Dawn looked down, and Tara knew that even mentioning the Bot was like telling Dawn her sister was never coming back. She rose from the table and pulled Willow out of the room. "Sweetie, you really should give it a rest," Tara said. "You know seeing the Buffy-Bot tends to freak Dawn out."  
  
"Well that's just too bad," Willow responded, a bit louder than Tara would have liked. Tara hushed her, hoping that Dawn hadn't overheard, but Willow went on. "She knows that we need the Buffy-Bot around, so she's just going to have to get over it."  
  
"But we don't need the Bot around all the time," Tara argued, making sure to keep her voice low and hoping that Willow would take the hint and lower her own voice as well. "And besides, I think you should quit working on it for a while. You've been obsessing about it way too much; I'm getting worried about you. You really should take a break for a while."  
  
"I can take a break when the Bot is finished," Willow said. Tara started to open her mouth to argue some more, but this time it was Willow that did the hushing. "I don't want to talk about it any more," she said, walking into the kitchen. She walked straight to the kitchen closet and pulled out the Buffy-Bot.  
  
"Do you really have to work on that now?" Dawn asked. "Can't you wait until I go to school or something? I'm so sick of seeing that stupid thing. It makes me want to vomit."  
  
"You just have to deal with it, sweetie," Willow responded as she started to work on the Bot. "You know why we have to keep it. We don't want you being taken away, now do we?"  
  
"I'd rather live in a foster home than to live here with that," Dawn said, gesturing to the Buffy-Bot.  
  
"Honey, you don't mean that," Tara responded, trying her best to keep the hurt out of her voice.  
  
"Yes I do!" Dawn responded. "You know I love you guys, I always will, but that thing is driving me crazy. If you have to keep it around, I'd just rather just live somewhere else!"  
  
"God, will you stop your whining for two seconds?!" Willow demanded. Both Tara and Dawn's eyes lit up at the witch's outburst. Willow hadn't been herself lately, but she usually managed to keep her cool. Tara didn't think she had ever once seen Willow actually lose her patience. "Look, I'm sorry if the Bot makes you uncomfortable, but would you at least try to understand we're doing this for your best interest and quit being such a brat about it?!"  
  
"Willow!" Tara gasped.  
  
"What happened to you?" Dawn responded. "You used to be so likeable, so nice. Now you're just a." She stopped before continuing. "Just a bitch."  
  
"Don't you talk to me like that!" Willow snapped back. Dawn's remarks had been about the only thing that could draw the Wicca's attention away from the Buffy-Bot. "I'm getting tired of your attitude, Dawny. When you get off school, I want you to come straight home. You're grounded."  
  
"You can't ground me!" Dawn fought back. "You're not my mother!" And with that, the teen was out of the door. Tara was momentarily stunned, but a moment later she went rushing out the door in search of Dawn.  
  
It proved to not be a long search, as Dawn was sitting on the porch crying. Tara wasn't sure what to do at first, but she eventually sat down next to Dawn and put a hand on the youth's shoulder. She just sat there with Dawn in silence for a moment; she figured it would be best if she just allowed Dawn to break the silence. It was several seconds before she did so.  
  
"What happened to the old Willow?" Dawn said at last.  
  
"I don't know," Tara sighed, hating to admit the truth. "She's just had a hard time coping the last few months. I think she feels like she's in charge of protecting the town now that." Tara stopped in mid-sentence; she hated to ever reference the fact that Buffy was dead. "She's just having a hard time dealing with the pressure, is all. Give her a while; she'll be back to her old self in no time."  
  
"I hope so," Dawn muttered. "I miss the old Willow. I hate the new one."  
  
The words nearly broke Tara's heart, despite the fact they didn't exactly come as a surprise. Willow and Dawn hadn't gotten along very well at all since Buffy's death and had argued frequently, though none of the same caliber as this one. "You don't mean that," Tara said, managing to keep her voice calm.  
  
Dawn was silent at first, but eventually relented. "No," she admitted, "I don't hate her. But I don't like her, either. She's just so unbearable!"  
  
"I know honey, I know," Tara responded.  
  
The two sat there in silence for a few moments before Dawn eventually managed to stand up. "Well, I guess I better head for school," Dawn said. "Don't want to be late."  
  
"Yeah, you probably should get going," Tara said, also rising to her feet. "Do you want me to walk with you? Or give you a ride? You just say it, you've got it, sweetie."  
  
"Thanks, but no," Dawn replied. "I'd actually rather be alone right now."  
  
"I understand," Tara said, giving Dawn a hug goodbye. "And I want you to know that despite how she's been acting, Willow loves you. A lot. We both do."  
  
"I know, I love you guys too," Dawn responded. "See ya." Tara watched Dawn until she was out of sight, and then headed back inside. Willow was back working on the Buffy-Bot. She didn't seem to notice Tara had even come in at first. It wasn't until Tara sat down across the table from Willow that the witch looked away from the Bot, though only briefly.  
  
"Did the baby leave for school?" Willow asked, turning her attention back to the Buffy-Bot.  
  
"She's not a baby!" Tara said, growing even more furious at her lover. Willow and Tara had only argued once, and Tara shuddered just thinking about what that had resulted in, but the time for silence was over. Willow was starting to act like something that sounded a lot like the word witch. "She's not a baby, so don't call her one."  
  
"Maybe if she didn't act like one, I wouldn't," Willow responded. Willow looked up and saw the glare Tara was giving her, which seemed to stump the witch. "Now what did I do?"  
  
"You've changed," Tara said. She wanted to say more, but she couldn't. Now wasn't the time for arguing. "I can't talk about this right now, I just can't," Tara said, exiting the room. Willow stayed on her knees for a while before finally getting up and joining Tara in the other room.  
  
"What is the matter with you?" Willow demanded. "Why do you always side with Dawn?"  
  
"This isn't about sides."  
  
"Yes it is!" Willow snapped back. "You're always siding with her. But I'm your girlfriend, you're supposed to side with me! You two act like it's a major chore even being around me!" When Tara didn't immediately respond, Willow's eyebrows rose. "You don't like being around me any more?"  
  
"I didn't say that!"  
  
"If being around me is such a hassle, why don't you move out?!" Willow barked.  
  
"If I didn't love you so much, I would!" Tara said before running upstairs. Willow's words had cut a hole in her heart and Tara wanted to cry, but she'd be damned if she let Willow see her so weak. She slammed the door to their bedroom before flinging herself on her bed.  
  
A moment later, Willow was in the room laying down next to her lover.  
  
"I'm sorry, baby," she apologized, wrapping her arms around Tara; despite the fact Tara wanted to pull away, she didn't. "This is just so hard for me," Willow admitted. "My best friend's dead, and now it's like I've got a baby sister and a daughter rolled up together that I have to take care of. It's hard. I don't know what to do."  
  
"First thing is calm down," Tara instructed, rolling over to face her girlfriend. "You're running yourself wild with all the patrolling, and worrying about the Buffy-Bot. It's not healthy, for anyone, for you to be this way. You have to chill."  
  
"I will, baby," Willow promised. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a bitch. I'm sorry."  
  
"I'm not the one you have to apologize to," Tara responded.  
  
Willow nodded. "You're right," Willow realized. "I'll have a talk with Dawn first chance I get. Promise." With that, Willow leaned in and gave her girlfriend a kiss. "Now don't you think you better get ready for class?"  
  
"What about you?" Tara asked, sitting up in bed. "You have class, too."  
  
"I know, but you're right," Willow said. "I really should rest for a while. I think I'll skip history. Nothing really important going on in there, anyway; just talking about things in the past."  
  
"What about advanced trig?" Tara asked. "Didn't you tell me you have a test this afternoon?"  
  
"I totally forgot!" Willow sighed. "I guess I better go to that one. Professor Stevens said if anybody misses, they fail the class automatically. So much for resting today, huh?"  
  
"Not necessarily. You can still rest for a few hours. It's better than nothing." Willow merely nodded as Tara climbed from the bed and retrieved her bag from the closet. "I'll see you later, sweetie," Tara said, and with that Tara was on her way downstairs.  
  
Willow looked out the window and watched as Tara began the walk towards campus. On the street, Tara caught sight of her lover and gave a wave, which Willow enthusiastically returned. Once Tara was out of sight, Willow was on her feet, down the stairs, and out the door. 


	3. Chapter 3: Bridal Now

Anya couldn't help but feel a sense of pride to see her future husband at work. Though he had never said anything to the rest of his friends, Xander had always been a bit ashamed that Buffy and Willow had gone to college while he hadn't. Anya recalled that he would often complain after having sex with her that his life was going nowhere. He rotated from one job to another until he finally came upon construction. From there, he had gotten himself promoted to supervisor. All of his complaining had been for naught; he had truly made something of himself without having gone to college.  
  
Anya couldn't help but notice how different she had become in the last several years. She was proud to see her husband succeed, but at one point in time she would have been disgusted at the thought. To see a man so happy would have driven her crazy. Amazing how a few years and the inability to grant wishes could change a woman.  
  
She knew that Anyanka, her demon persona, would have been disgusted to learn that Anya had become a complete slave to sex. Not that she was exactly a slave, she realized; a slave was forced to do what it didn't want to. Anya was certainly no slave; she was closer to being a slave driver.  
  
Reaching into her pocket, she drew out a magazine. She had been looking through the magazine, titled "Bridal Now," all morning, and had finally found the perfect dress for the wedding. She knew Xander didn't like to be distracted from work, but she couldn't contain her excitement any longer. Work would just have to wait; it was infinitely less important than her wedding.  
  
Anya marched right towards Xander, who was up on a ladder hammering something into place. Anya was about to call his name when she got distracted by his rear end. God, he's got a great ass, Anya thought to herself. She became so distracted with Xander's backside that a bomb could have gone off four feet away and she would have never noticed.  
  
"Awn, hon, you're embarrassing me," Xander said, his words snapping Anya out of her entrancement. She shook her head, regaining her senses, as her fiancé climbed down the ladder. She vaguely heard Xander's coworkers snickering, but she paid them no mind.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just that your ass is so distracting," Anya said, drawing even louder laughter from Xander's coworkers; Xander shot them a glare that silenced them, though the grins remained on their faces.  
  
"Why don't you guys go ahead and take a break?" Xander instructed.  
  
"Sure thing, boss," the heaviest of the three coworkers responded. "We'll leave you, the Mrs., and your distracting butt cheeks alone for a couple of minutes." Laughing to themselves, the three made their way to the truck. Xander's attention had already returned to his fiancé.  
  
"So what are you doing here?" Xander asked. "Shouldn't you be at work?"  
  
"No time for that," Anya explained, thrusting the bridal magazine in Xander's face. "Look at this. Wouldn't this just be perfect for our wedding? It's very very pretty, and it's easy to get out of so we can start having sex as soon as the wedding is over."  
  
"It's pretty," Xander said, though he didn't seem to sound too sincere about it. "But you do know we won't have sex that night until the honeymoon, don't you?"  
  
"Why can't we have it as soon as we say I do?" Anya asked.  
  
"How about the fact that I don't want to have sex in front of all of my friends?"  
  
"Don't be silly," Anya replied. "As soon as we say I do, we will simply explain to the guests that they must leave so we can have sex. I'm sure they'll all understand. So what do you think of the dress?"  
  
"I told you I liked it."  
  
"Well, you don't sound like you like it," Anya argued. "In fact, half the things I show you for the wedding you don't seem to care about. It's our wedding, Xander. I want everything to be perfect."  
  
"It will be, Awn, I promise," Xander swore. "It's just, you're rushing things. I mean, you've already picked out a dress, but we haven't even set a date, we haven't told my friends." Xander was about to continue, but he was interrupted.  
  
"And whose fault is that, Xander Harris?" Anya demanded. "I've wanted to tell the gang several times, but you keep insisting it's not the right time. When is the right time?"  
  
Xander sighed. "It's too soon," Xander asked. "Giles has been distant lately, and Willow is driving all of us crazy with her obsession about fixing the Buffy-Bot. I just want to wait a little while before we tell them."  
  
"But why?!" Anya shrieked. "Thinking about getting married makes me really really happy. Therefore, telling them should make them happy. Which will make me happier. Which will make you happier. Which will make me happier. It's a happy happy situation, Xander." Anya quit upon seeing Xander's reaction. Anya turned her head in curiosity, wondering what could have Xander so upset at a time like this. Then it hit her. "Is this about Buffy?" she asked.  
  
Xander's eyes shot up at that moment, and if Anya didn't know better she would have been afraid. There was an intensity in Xander's eyes that she had never seen before. She couldn't help but wonder what Xander would have done if it had been anybody else that made the suggestion.  
  
Xander's eyes returned to his feet. Along with Willow, Buffy was his best friend. He was about to get married, but he would never be able to tell one of those closest to him. What was supposed to be the happiest day of his life was approaching, and one of the dearest people in his heart would never have the chance to be there.  
  
"She'd want us to be happy," Anya said in her best soothing voice. "I'm sure wherever she is, she's encouraging us to tell the gang about the big day." This last comment drew Xander's eyes once again; if they had been intense before, she had no idea what to call them now.  
  
"Don't you talk like that!" Xander talked like that. "Don't use Buffy to pressure me into telling my friends!"  
  
"That's not what I was doing!" Anya shot back. "I'm just saying you can't skirt the fact forever. Either way, if we're going to get married, we have to tell everybody. Better now than later."  
  
Xander just shook his head. "I can't tell them now," Xander responded. "The timing just isn't right. But we'll tell them eventually. I promise."  
  
"You know what, Xander, maybe we won't," Anya said, turning on her feet and storming off. Calling over her shoulder, she added, "If you don't want to tell them now, maybe we just shouldn't tell them at all. Maybe we just shouldn't get married!"  
  
Xander called after her, but Anya ignored him. She was too furious at the moment to stop and listen to any more of his excuses. She didn't think she could look at Xander at that particular moment and not scream. Not for the first time, she wished she could once again become a vengeance demon so she could just leave all the complications behind. 


End file.
